to want to shout at Primark shoppers?

[baiyu]

I mean really, just how many shoppers without a conscience are there? There really is no justification for shopping somewhere that treats its garment workers so badly and has continued to do despite years of campaigning.

Primark are thriving in the economic downturn making workers lives worse and worse as they struggle to keep up with orders. Being poor is no excuse, I can?t afford to buy new clothes but I?d rather my few quid went to Oxfam than ABF and their cruel trading practices. So tell me, why do people shop there? The quality is terrible too, how is it a bargain if an item of clothing lasts ten minutes?

I?m not just reading the Daily Mail by the way, researching things like this is my job, the working conditions have NOT improved and it?s just making me angry! AIBU to think more people should care?

and I don't know about any of the others on this thread who have to shop at places such as Primark because that's all they can afford.........but clothes for my children are essentials........(and I tend to bulk buy them - so I wait until they literally have nothing left to wear and then replace in one go - so yes come out of shops with lots of bags)

Coffee at a nice coffee shop is a rare treat.

I'd be surprised if it's the same people coming out of Primark with bags of shopping every single week.

Not even my young (well early 20's) well off "studenty" friends manage to shop that often. It's a real treat to go out and buy some new clothes.

I shop at Primark once a year, as we don't have one near us and I don't drive so yes out come about 3 shopping bags, and a nice coffee, cake and sit down afterwards, ahhhhhh. I still have Primark clothing in my wardrobe for about 6 years, and wear them till they fall apart.

it is practically impossible to live an ethical life in a 1st world country like uk.unless of course you spend all day sourcing fair trade yoghurt and knitted from pubes jumper -we all make our choices for a myriad of reasons

primark is cheaper than charity shops in my area and driving around to car boot sales isnt v green is it

oh yes piglet - I think I'll have to do a "big clothes shop" for the boys at the end of the holidays to get stuff for autumn/winter.

Will aim to do it when exH has the kids so I can have coffee and cake somewhere nice afters - sheer heaven - as much as it costs me to keep them in clothes that fit - god I live for those twice yearly shopping trips

baiyu - i don;t think you are being unreasonable! it is frustrating that people think their right to cheap disposable clothing is more important than human rights, and you are right to shout because I care, and i forget! I would love someone reminding me that though it is convenient, it comes at too high a price.

People this is MUMSnet. are you really saying that other peoples' children are less important than your own? I saw pictures of a 7 year old boy making xmas decorations for poundland. he sleeps in the factory, hasn't seen his mum for years and hopes that his wages (24p a day i think) are sent to her. this is slavery. the horror is that paying these people a decent wage and allowing humane working conditions would only add a tiny proportion to the cost of goods.

Right - i feel like shouting now!!!

Our lifestyles depend on the misery and exploitation of other people. Deal with it.

smittenkitten - i trust your laptop was an oraganic, free trade one?

I don't like the thought of children being exploited but it is a very complex issue. If we all boycotted the high street the children in the third world would starve. They do not have the luxury of the welfare state like we do.

oh FFS smith - you're preaching to the wrong person here.

Just because some of us are forced through finances/location to shop at the likes of Matalan and Primark doesn't mean we walk in there singing happily to ourselves about how fabulous it is that all these clothes are so cheap, with no conscience.

Lobby for higher wages, don't boycott. I can't shop in Primark because I live abroad but I would if I could. What would you rather, some wage, or children in prostitution, killed at birth, thrown onto the street, die through starvation etc........

Boycotting is not the answer.

when primark opened near us my best friend was so excited
she and her children were living on such a low income (benefits after leaving a very nasty 'man', minus the social loan required to help her leave him and buy all new furniture, minus the rent deposit loan)
with primani opening up she saw the chance to clothe her rapidly growing children on the cheap, and to buy herself a few bits here and there to make herself feel good
if you're judging primark shoppers you do so with ignorance. best of luck.
and if you're contemplating shouting at primark shoppers, you'd need all the luck in the world if you were to chance upon my friend. she'd have you for dinner and quite right too ha ha!

BUT i don't think you're about to start shouting at people.
i think you're more likely to seethe and seethe :-p

RockinSockBunnie's right about Primark being new to some areas. I'd never heard of it (in Sussex) til around 5 yrs ago, and there was a big buzz about it when some stores opened up.

Being poor is an excuse- when ds3 gets through a school shirt a day (he has SN so cannot help it) and I am nearing the end of my bank account my options are limited.

However I was disappointed to find the local town is building a Primark megastore (in teh old Woolies) size branch when we already have George / Matalan etc- I don't often have much cash but when I do I would prefer to shop as ethically as possible (admititng that it is a debate indeed wrt to what happens to the workers when they get paid nothing at all).

I'd like the option to buy fairly produced though because if it's not an option then the sector cannot grow and those same workers won't ever have the chance to move forwards.

Optimal obviously being that the low paid workers end up being employed by fairtrade producers and co-opperatives (optimal, sadly not likely)

Oh do bugger off, smitten.

I'm afraid if it comes down to it, yes, clothing my son is more important. Would you rather he was naked?

Babybarrister what would you suggest I do about ds3's school clothes then?

he tears and stains a shirt so ofetn that we see 2 wears as a good deal

I can't earn more as am a carer for smae reason he destroys things

Where wopuld the money actually come from to buy the things I would like to choose?

Am not ignorant- my degree (only 2008 so not long ago) had lots on this as I did ethics as part of it

But am still having to live in the real world

agree with lobbying for higher wages. and better conditions.

For many people in poor parts of the world for the lucky ones working is done outside of their education time. It's a part of life, a nessecity, the norm, even UNICEF accepts this as part of their definitoin of child labour. Classifying child labour as being anything over a set minimums of economic or domestic work a week - which increase at certain ages.

There is child labour and then there is child work, and this is recognised by most major groups involved in trying to stop child labour

'People this is MUMSnet. are you really saying that other peoples' children are less important than your own?'

What about ds3's right to be clothes though? That's also a human right.

The child in poundland should be paid more, absolutely, but what if poundland decided they could mechanise for that bit more and the child lost thier job (would happen)- the child would be hugely worse off.

Am not justifying it all; but 'everyone must never buy cheap things again' is simply not a possibility in the real life

All being equal I would choose ethically produced every time; all is not equal, sadly

Oh and as an aside it is not only children abroad that are forced to work sadly

Look at young carers for a start, it happens everywhere. Diferent reasoning same hardship.

'Primark is not great quality and is probably not going to last anyway .... '

I have Primark and ASDA clothes that are over 5 years old. Still going strong.

I don't throw clothes away. When they're too worn they go into cloth recycling to raise money for DDs' school or I pass them on.

I have never ever seen second hand polo shirts in any charity shop, seriously

Almost everything we wear comes from EBay except school uniform (mainly logo'd or disposable in nature) and undies

And to be entirely honest I ahve to spend most days campaigning for my dc's to get respect as well: in no way do I count that as more important than for other children but I do see that as equal- my kid's barriers will be different (ASD) but as real

Respect isn't something that only filters to certain groups who live abroad- plenty of children have to live a life where it is in shortfall. Would you expect a child living a life of child labout to start campaigning for my kids to get equal rights of access to training etc? of course not, but neither can I prioritise the needs of otehr children- I can take them intoa ccount when I can, and indeed I do work with UNICEF, member of Amnesty etc- but it's simply not all that black and white

Babybarrister - are you actually a barrister?

'what you get paid as a carer '

I did not complain; I never do, it's a simple fact that being a carer makes one far more likely to be poor.

Just as 1 + 1 = 2 and won't stretch to 3 no matter how mcuh I wish it would.

And as it happens you will note that I say they are building a Primark: as in, we don't actually have one. I ahve enver shopped there.

But if were desperate enough I would. I'd prefer not to and look for other options forst but if I had (an example that happens often) £5, ds1 had lost his coat agin (loses about 4 a term I guess) and the only coat I could find inclusing second hand was in primark then I would buy it.

Justa s when DH was in FT work I wouldn't have entertained the idea. I would perhaps (probably) choose to let myself go without a coat for the sake of avoiding primark but am damned I woudl penalise my kids for my own choice of morals.

this myth of charity shops overflowing with cheap,clean,good nick clothes exactly when you need them is no true.charity shops round me are pricy and certainly oxfam books is more than amazon

prosperous fair trade chatterati opining that others shouldn't have ability to make their choice of were to shop is v condescending